“Period performances that blend life,
spirit and soul with a perfectly-judged sensitivity for contemporary
style and practice.”

~ Terry Robbins, The WholeNote,
May 2012

The Windermere String Quartet was formed in the spring
of 2005 to perform the music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and
their contemporaries on period instruments, as well as new works inspired
by the Classical period. The Quartet is known for its dynamic performances
and distinctive sound. Violinists Elizabeth
Loewen Andrews and Michelle Odorico, violist Anthony
Rapoport, and cellist Laura Jones are well known
to audiences as performers with leading period instrument ensembles, between
them performing with Tafelmusik, Toronto Consort, Aradia, Musicians in
Ordinary, Elixir Baroque Ensemble and many others. Along with their wealth
of experience in Baroque and Classical styles, the members of the Windermere
String Quartet have a wide range of musical tastes and have also been acclaimed
for their performances with such groups as Sinfonia Toronto, Talisker Players
and the indie-pop band LYON. These eclectic interests bring a freshness
and passionate spontaneity to their performances.

The Quartet’s own series, the Windermere String
Quartet Concert Series, was established to explore the well-known masterworks
as well as lesser-known gems of the string quartet repertoire on period
instruments. The series also regularly features newly commissioned
works, such as new Quartets by Canadian composers Alexander Rapoport,
Robert Rival, William Rowson, Mehdi Rezania and Anthony St. Pierre. In
2009, the WSQ premiered a new Quartet by British composer Geoffrey Palmer
at York University’s
International Conference Celebrating
Haydn: His Times and his Legacy. In 2012, the WSQ premiered
a new Quartet by Stephanie Martin at a gala celebration of the 25th anniversary
of the Pax Christi Chorale. The Quartet has performed at
Toronto’s
Academy Concert Series, the Toronto Music Garden, Nuit Blanche, Toronto
Early Music Centre’s Musically
Speaking series,
Stratford Chamber Music, and the New Hamburg Live! Festival of the Arts.
They have been Quartet in Residence at Music at Port Milford and CAMMAC's
Lake MacDonald Music Centre. The Quartet has enjoyed collaborations with
clarinetists Colin Lawson and Nicolai Tarasov,
horn player Derek Conrod, lutenist/guitarist Lucas Harris and fortepianist
Sharon Burlacoff.

The Windermere String Quartet gratefully acknowledges the support
of its generous donors.